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| Diagram of Normal Heart vs Dilated Cardiomyopathy Heart |
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With the pediatric population, cardiomyopathy occurs in approximately 12 children out of every million with about 1,000-5,000 new cases diagnosed each year worldwide. The majority of diagnosed children are infants under the age of 12 months with fewer cases between the ages of 1 to 12 years. When cardiomyopathy is diagnosed in children before puberty, it is considered extremely unusual and it may not have the same causes, manifestations or disease progression as cardiomyopathy in adults.
There is a vast amount of literature on adult cardiomyopathy but not all of the information is relevant to children diagnosed with the disease. Unfortunately, there has been little research and focus on pediatric cardiomyopathy over the years. Consequently, the causes are not well understood. In infants, 79% of cases are still of unknown origin, which is a much higher percentage than in the adult population. What is known at this point is that the underlying causes of cardiomyopathy in infants and children may be considerably different from that diagnosed in adolescents and adults with similar symptoms.
Cardiomyopathy is a chronic and progressive disease in which the heart muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened and stiffened. The condition typically begins in the walls of the heart's lower chambers and in more severe cases also affects the walls of the upper chambers. The actual muscle cells as well as the surrounding tissues of the heart become damaged. Eventually, the weakened heart loses the ability to pump blood effectively and heart failure or irregular heartbeats may occur.
Cardiomyopathy is nondiscriminatory in that it can affect any adult or child at any stage of their life. It is not gender, geographic, race or age specific. It is a rare disease when diagnosed in infants and young children. Cardiomyopathy continues to be the leading reason for heart transplants in children.
Read more about the different types of Cardiomyopathy in children by visiting the Childrens Cardiomyopathy Foundation.
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